It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! One week away lies one of the most important wedding related events that you will attend other than your wedding! The Davenport Jaycee’s Annual Bridal Expo is happening next Saturday from 9-4pm at the Davenport River Center. So mark your calendar, shine your shoes, and grab your best mates as you get ready to attend.

If you’ve been to a wedding show before then prepare to be amazed at the sheer size of this one. If you’ve never been to a wedding show before then buckle your seatbelts because it’s time to jump in with both feet! At the show you will find wedding vendors of ever type who are all dying to be a part of your big day. Photographers, florists, bakers, planners, musicians, travel companies, and more will be there to provide information, answer questions, and best of all, have fabulous give aways and prizes throughout the day! For example, if you visit the Jaycee’s booth, they are giving away an awesome photography package from Luxe Photography for 8 hours of service! Drool-worthy prize! And that’s just one!

Here’s my most important insider’s tip – Be sure to visit the QCWeddings.com booth FIRST before you go to any other booths. Why? Because we’ll have free information labels for you to use as you enter all the contest and sign up for info throughout your tour of the show. I can tell you that with nearly 100 booths to see, your hand will nearly cramp up and fall off if you try to hand write your info over and over again. So stop by and see us. We’ll hook you up! After you visit us, go nuts! Slap those info labels down wherever you heart desires!

Tickets for the show are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. You can purchase tickets in advance at any Quad City Area Hy-Vee. Again, this wedding show is the one to see, and it’s such a blast! What makes it even better is when you bring your entourage along to help you juggle all the freebies and info packets that you’ll receive! It’s a great way to get the moms and sisters and bridesmaids together, so give them a call and make your plans to visit the show!

First of the season!  One of the most anticipated events of the area is tomorrow!  The Wedding Max Bridal Show will be open from 11 to 3 tomorrow at the iWireless Center in Moline!  This is arguably one of the best wedding related events of the area all year, and if you are an engaged couple, member of the wedding party, or family of the bride or groom, you should make arrangements to be here!  Shop around for your wedding vendors such as photographers, florists, bakeries, and more! 

Now remember, there are a GAZILLION prizes and give aways, and you will be writing your name and address a GAZILLION times unless you stop by our booth to receive your FREE info labels which you can just peel off and slap down on those entry forms thus saving your hand from a life of carpal tunnel.

Here are some pictures from last year's show to get you excited!

 

Not only will you have a chance to meet possible wedding vendors, you will also be amazed and inspired at all the decor that the vendors bring highlighting this year's hottest trends for weddings!  Tickets are only $8 a person...the experience priceless!

Ahem!  Calling all interested parties!  (That's you, brides and grooms!)  This year's Bridal Emporium is tomorrow afternoon from 1-4pm at the Jumer's Event Center located within the new Jumers Hotel and Casino. 

Along with the fact that you'll be at an amazing bridal show, you also could spend your entire day walking around the property, diving into the shops, pampering yourself at the spa, and trying your luck on the casino floor.  Even better is that admission to the show is free to the public!  So bring your wedding entourage along with you! 

Remember that we will be there to print off labels for our brides and grooms so that you don't have to write your name and address a thousand times when you want to sign up for contests or information.  So stop by our booth first! 

Here are directions to take you there if you're not quite sure where to go:

From the North:

Highway 61 in Iowa, South to I-80 West. I-80 West to I-280 East and I-280 East to Hwy 92 West. Take Exit 11A towards Andalusia.

From the South:

In Illinois, travel Interstate 74 North to Moline, Illinois. From I-74, take I-280 West to 92 West. Take Exit 11A towards Andalusia.

From the East:

In Illinois, travel West on Interstate 80 to I-280 West. From I-280 West, take 92 West. Take Exit 11A towards Andalusia.
In Illinois, travel West on Interstate 88 to I-80 East. Take I-80 East to I-280 West. From I-280 West, take 92 West. Take Exit 11A towards Andalusia.

From the West:

In Iowa, travel Interstate 80 East to I-280 East. Take I-280 East to 92 West. Take Exit 11A towards Andalusia.

We can't wait to see you there! 

What a weekend!  Jami and I had such a great time hanging out at the Hotel Blackhawk hobnobbing with beautiful people.  Something about the Hotel Blackhawk sets the tone, and this event was no exception!  Beauty everywhere you look on the walls, ceilings, and floors, and with the Multicultural Expo under full swing, beauty was elsewhere too!  The event kicked off with a fabulous, and I mean fabulous, fashion show exibiting cultural wedding attire from around the world worn by brides and grooms of a multitude of cultures right here in our area!  Following the fashion show was a lovely bridal fair where engaged couples came to peruse vendors and their wares.  Flowers, chocolates, linens, invitations, and us of course!  Jami and I always enjoy being at wedding shows and getting to inform people of the important work that is done by our wedding vendors! 

Here are some pictures recapping our weekend:

Remember that this weekend marks the First Bi-State IL/IA Multicultural Wedding Expo 2011 the first of its kind in our area!  Here are the details: 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28 from 10 am to 3 pm
Location: Hotel Blackhawk in Davenport, IA
Tickets are $5 each (if you buy 5 or more)
$8 individual ticket in advance
$10 at the door.
 
We are looking forward to seeing you there!  Recently we were able to pick the brains of the masterminds behind this amazing event, and here's what they had to say: 

1.  The Quad Cities community is fairly diverse, and is more so every year.  How did you determine that now is the time for this event? 2 main factors motivated us to organize this event now. More bi-cultural relationships are happening as a result of professional relocation or immigration to the area, so couples have difficulty finding a nice and harmonic way to blend two cultures in one wedding ceremony. The second motivator is that some of our clients brought to our attention that they did not feel represented or welcomed in some local bridal shows. We decided then to create this amazing event that embraces diversity and inclusion, where our goal is to make every single person feel welcomed, and able to find the high quality services or/and products they are looking for.
 
2.  What will brides, grooms and their family/friends be able to see/do at this expo that is new and different? They will have interpreters available (at least in Spanish, French and Portuguese); they will see a fashion show that will represent the main cultures found in the QC area; they will have a chance to win prizes from other countries; they will have an opportunity to participate in a multicultural business networking event and a Gala the night before, and they will have an opportunity to share their stories in our website.
 
3.  What do the vendors have to say about the Multicultural Wedding Expo?  How many vendors are expected to attend the weekend event?
The vendors are very excited with the opportunity to showcase their businesses to a diverse clientele. They are also excited that they will have 2 workshops the day before to prepare them to work more effectively with people from cultures different than theirs. We are not thinking about quantity, but quality. We are limiting our number of vendors to 40.
 
4.  Why is the Quad Cities a great area for a multicultural wedding?
Many people from other countries relocate to this area because of big multinational corporations that are here. My own story is an example of it. I moved to the area from Brazil, because my husband works for John Deere. Cross-cultural relocation is one of the services provided by Global Awareness Consulting, so we have the opportunity to meet lots of expats who come to the Quad Cities area from other countries. Adding to this group, we will find international students, other immigrants, and refugees. Another important factor is that same sex marriage is legal in Iowa, so couples from other states come to the area for their wedding celebrations.
 
5.  Bridal fashion shows are always fun!  What are some of the countries and cultures that will have their wedding apparel trends featured?  What attire will be featured in particular?
We will have models from the USA, Mexico, India, China, Senegal and maybe other cultures. We will focus on brides and grooms, but will also have flower girl, ring bearer, bridesmaids and best men and parents of the couple. Expect to see a beautiful and colorful show! Don't miss it!

We are going to be there, and we hope we see you all there too!